Courage Beyond A Dollar

For every situation and every person there is place of balance that neutralizes ambition and creates a place of comfort. It’s a place in which we live by concession and is fortified by fear, acceptance, comfort, tradition and culture.

A place of comfort is a place in which survival is made sure. It does not mean that in that place of comfort a person receives everything that they want, it just means that they get to live one more day. So in our lives we look for this place of comfort or sometimes it finds us. For kids it could be receiving a dollar a day for buying food somewhere; as long as the child receives that dollar their place of comfort is firmly established. It could be that another kid receives ten dollars a day within the same school but the kid who is used to his or her one dollar will not reach for the ten dollars simply because they have reached their place of comfort. In adults, the same thing can be seen in careers where one becomes used to it, it becomes easier to stay in that company for the next ten years instead of moving to something better. In relationships it could be that the person accepts the relationship as long as they get to live one more day in the comfort of knowing they get the minimum.

In our lives we all have dollar situations in which we are happy to accept as being normal. We accept that it’s normal because we have a survival expectation. A person might have started off wanting to be a millionaire as an example. As time went the person might have realized that it’s tougher than that and in their endeavors they settled for a regular income which could pay for rent and food. For them that status is acceptable for a while and because it helps them to survive each day they hold on to it as if their lives depend on it. This place of survival which we perceive is the place of balance for each and every person alive. It’s the place in which we are willing to accept a situation for as long as we receive that one dollar. It is that place in which in one neighborhood there could be killings and drug dealings but as long as it does not affect our neighborhood it is acceptable to us. Yet, in all this we do not realize that our peace hangs in the balance just one road away. As voters we also have a dollar situation, as long as in the short term we receive that which we think is adequate for our survival we vote for whoever offers the dollar situation; the person who offers the ten dollars in the near future is deemed as a dreamer because it is in the future and is never taken seriously.

When you look at your personal life you might see that you are stuck in a dollar situation. You probably stopped reaching for the stars and settled for the top of the desk, you might have stopped trying to swimming the ocean and settled for sitting in the tub, you might have stopped walking the road and instead are now just sitting on the couch; whatever it is you stopped having courage beyond a dollar. It’s never too late to go beyond a dollar; all you need is to set your standards higher and desire a greater comfort. It is like the half cup metaphor, you can either settle for the half cup and say it’s better than nothing or you can have a half a cup and ask for the other half. Ask and you will receive, look and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. No one said the moment you knock that the door will be opened instantly, there might be a delay or so but you have to keep knocking according to the standard of life you want. You have to keep looking depending on the criteria and specificity of what you want. If you settle for a compromise you will receive a compromise. In the morning get yourself some courage and go beyond a dollar.

Winston is the author of several books. His breakthrough book was “You Have All Been Fooled”, a book about power, ability, and sheer determination in life. Available on the following
You Have All Been Fooled at Amazon
You Have All Been Fooled at Author’s Page
Winston’s other books include the following
Four Reasons Why Absolute World Peace is Impossible With Humans
The Spark of Life, Success and Relationships
The Book of Revelation Series

Six things for you to do every year before you die

You are going to die that is obvious, today, tomorrow or right now, that is how life is. Before you die there are things you should do as a must not as an option.

Dream as much as you can and as much as you want. As a person don’t be afraid to dream. Think of what you really want in life, it may be success beyond anything ever achieved in your family, there is nothing wrong in dreaming about it. Remember soon you will die and what good would have been your life if you never dared to dream to achieve. Go beyond the dream; search for what you need and in time you will find it. There is nothing wrong in believing in being happy, if something is right and you believe in it then chase your dream. We tend to want to conform to society or to certain social convictions yet life is very creative and free. We have the power within us to achieve what we really want not what we are told we want.

Travel as much as you can. Think of all the places you would want to go to, there is nothing wrong in you going to Europe, USA, Africa, Asia, Australia and wherever you believe you can. The more you travel the more exposed to different things in life. At least once in a year be courageous enough to want to travel. Don’t be held back by people’s opinions, just because they don’t travel does not mean you should not. Find time in your diary to at least travel. Think of that place that you think would satisfy your curiosity, go there for a weekend, take a walk in sunshine, find the forests freshness, and dare to step on a desert, think of the ice caps that you would like to feel. There is nothing to be afraid of, travel whenever you can.

Make it a point that you donate. Donate your time, money, clothes, love, and thoughts to something worthy. The human race depends on people who give of their time to do something special for others. Don’t be afraid if you think you have too little, whatever you have that you can give is good enough. Sometimes just visit an orphanage, play games with the kids, spending time with the elders, give of your time and love and you will die happy. Life is a big and great place; if enough people gave, the earth would be greener than what it is today. So before you die give something of your after all you are going to leave everything else behind, you cannot take anything to the grave.

Rest once in a while in your life. You work very hard every day, but take the time to rest. Have your time when you find your absolute peace of mind, where there are no phones, no news, no demands, just you and your total peace. Make sure you rest every seven days, if you cannot you will die bitter and sad. People will say you worked hard but your spirit will tell you that you worked too hard. Take a leave, rest your body and spirit after all, you need it. Practice resting because soon you will rest forever.

Look after your body it’s a gift. No matter what your body is like, big, skinny, short, or whatever size you may have don’t insult your body. It is the vehicle by which you are alive on this earth without your body there would be no you. Treat your body like a sacred temple; only let those who are worthy touch you. Don’t be common to everyone’s touch. Don’t feed your body toxic material otherwise it will soon fail and you will die earlier before you enjoy life. Careful what you eat and measure what you drink. Everything is good for us but too much of anything is bad for us. Don’t hate your body because your body knows and might hate you. Be healthy and love what you do.

Pray every morning and every evening. You are intelligent its true, but you have no control over life. You may think that you have control but the truth is that you don’t have any control. Pray for children, for you spouse, your work, your parents, your siblings, pray for your president, pray for your neighbors, pray for your car, pray for your environment, pray for the stars, pray for the moon, whenever you find the time just pray. You might fail to do everything else in life but never forget to pray.